Below Deck: Who is Chef Leon and where is now?
Hopefully far, far away from Kate for both of their sakes
It goes without saying that when watching Below Deck, we expect just a smidge of drama, and one of the show’s all-time most chaotic characters was none other than Chef Leon Walker.
In season three of the show, the iconic Chef Ben was swapped out for Leon, who very swiftly made a sworn enemy of Chief Stew Kate Chastain. The pair were both really antagonistic to one another, and by the end, Leon was literally just telling her he hated her.
Leon was eventually sacked from the boat after a dirty oven led to a fire in the galley. He blamed Kate for this, accusing her of being drunk, but Captain Lee decided to fire the chef, replacing him with Ben Robinson. Order was restored.
Obviously we were given dribs and drabs about Leon’s background, but who actually is he? And what’s he been up to since leaving Below Deck back in 2015. Here’s everything you need to know about Chef Leon Walker.
Who is Chef Leon Walker?
51-year-old Leon Walker is of English and Jamaican descent but was actually born in Australia. When he was just 18-years-old, Leon hit the high seas, launching his career as a cook aboard the Queen Elizabeth.
Since then, he’s cooked in Michelin star restaurants and on superyachts. He’s even cheffed up a few delicacies for celebrities and royalty.
As mentioned on the show, Leon Walker has two daughters.
He ran a couple of restaurants in Australia
Based in Cairns, Australia, Chef Leon was Head Chef at Wink II Restaurant, Wink Catering and Wink Café. This Cairns Dining website details what it deems to be Leon’s “gorgeous philosophy” on food.
Leon writes: “In the end, a great meal is not about the food and the wine. A great meal is an emotional experience. We try to make it an extraordinary one by creating a beautiful place, one filled with staff who care as much about it the culinary details as they do about their home, and care for you as the most important guest in it.”
He adds: “Because a great meal is not one that fills you up. A great meal is the kind of journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten and takes you to places you haven’t been before.”
It seems as though these businesses are no longer operating and that Leon has moved onto pastures new.
He’s looking for new opportunities
According to Leon’s LinkedIn, he’s now based in Bromley, London and is “looking for the next challenge with the new team”.
Could he possibly return to Below Deck??? Honestly, I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Chef Leon has a net worth of $1.5m
Chef Leon has a reported net worth of $1.5m and tbh it’s not that surprising given how much the cast of Below Deck earn.
Love life
Leon tends to keep these details pretty private, so we’re unsure if he’s in a relationship or not.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• Below Deck: Who is Chef Ben and where is he now?
• Ranked: The best ever Below Deck episodes according to IMDb